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The first brewery in history can be traced back to the oldest human civilizations. Ancient Mesopotamia had a brewery before they had a courthouse or a library. They had a brewery before they had a meat cellar or storehouse for roots and berries.
But the fact that they were so fundamental to civilization is not the only thing that’s interesting about Mesopotamian breweries. On top of that, they were also decorated.
Carved from stone, wrapped in vines, and painted with the powder of crushed grapes, breweries have long been the object of aesthetic appreciation. And that tradition continues into current times, when people are always looking for a way to make them stand out.
In this article, we’ll share five tips for making your brewery or bar interior design really stand out, to impress the crowds you’ll surely draw.
1. Match Furniture and Tone
A 30-year-old from the 1990s and a 30-year-old from the 1920s have such different aesthetics that they might as well be from different planets. The same can be said for the styles and tones of furniture and lighting of each time period. You have to respect those differences.
If your bar is a deep, dark brown and your lights are a warm gold, then you are probably going to want leather chairs or bar stools to match the look. If the only bar you can find is a futuristic-looking blue bar, then you can try more colorful lights and furniture. Don’t mix them though.
And don’t forget about beer tap systems for your brewery. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. You want to make sure that your beer tap system complements the overall look and feel of your bar.
2. Don’t Skip Signage
There are two things that people look for all the time, no matter what they are looking at: Other people’s faces, and words. You can use this to your advantage in a few ways.
Most obviously, it means you can put up neon signage to draw people in from the outside. But you can also do things like making your menu neon or placing your menu strategically so people can both see it easily and get their attention caught by it.
3. Either Hide Things or Show Things
Think of how a MacBook is designed. It is thin and sleek. Not only can you not see inside it, but you can’t even open it to customize it. Much of the world has been designed in the same way, where all the inner workings of things are hidden.
Every so often, however, someone breaks this rule. Escalators that expose their insides, restaurants with open kitchens, and so on. Decide early on if you want you to be like the MacBook and keep everything hidden, or if you want to show things off.
4. Small Lighting Adds Up
Most bars and breweries do not have huge flood lights, or even room-filling lamps. Traditionally, they use lots of small, low-power lights like string lights and orange lamps.
No single lighting fixture will make or break your lighting setup. You need lots of different lighting fixtures at low powers, building a mountain of light one stone at a time. Anything larger than that will feel abrasive.
5. Use Photographs
Remember how people immediately see both words and faces? Use both. These photos can be of familiar patrons, fond memories, or even personal conquests.
But if you want to get really creative, introduce a portrait painting to the mix. If you pick the right person to immortalize, then it can add a lot of memorable character to your business.
Conclusion
Being memorable is really the key here. What you want to create is a situation where people can easily describe your bar or brewery to others. They won’t just say, “Remember the bar with the moody lighting?” They’ll say, “Remember the bar with the Franz Kafka painting?”